Dear Diary: Book Two: Autumn
by cgal120
Summary: SEQUAL! Hailey faces new troubles has a new season sets in in the ironicly named town of Pleasantview. Can she cope with the drama of teenage life AND the strange messages she keeps recieving from nowhere? Rated T for Lilith's potty mouth.
1. Summary

_**Summary**_

Hailey Baker has had a whole summer to get used to the ups and downs of Pleasantview. She made new friends, and was dragged into the strange mystery of Bella Goth.

Now, she has to deal with senior year in a new school, feuding families, and ghostly messages.

New season, new problems. Ain't life pleasant?

**_A/N:_**

**Yay! The next instalment of Dear Diary. I hope to make this even better than the original! Review for anything that you would like to see, and I may write it into the story! :D**


	2. Chapter One: Goodbye, my Brother

_**Chapter One**_

_**Goodbye, my Brother**_

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Six o'clock my alarm clock started ringing in it's usual irritating fashion. I hated that sound so much. It was like the starting gun at a marathon; the signal of a very long tedious run. This run being something I looking forward to very little.

Groaning, I got out of bed and slammed my hand against the damned machine. It stopped with one final spluttered _beep_, and fell silent. Scratching my head, I walked down stairs and drummed against Tommy's door. I smirked as his irritated face peaked around the door.

"Get bent!" he moaned.

"Now, now!" I giggled. "You wouldn't want to be late for school, would you?"

His little eyes widened, as though he had only just remembered that it wasn't the holidays anymore. I laughed and carried on downstairs.

Mum and Dad were sat at the kitchen table already. Dad was drinking his normal work-starter coffee, and Mum was drinking some herbal tea. Both were going back to work today (travel wasn't a problem as they both worked in SimCity).

"'Morning," I yawned.

"Good morning, dear."

"'Morning."

Dad stood up, already dressed and ready to go. He gave Mum and I a kiss on the head each, then left for work.

Half an hour later, Tommy and Peter walked into the room. Tommy looked as though he had gone back to sleep. I giggled slightly as his nearly dipped into his cereal. Peter, on the other hand, was fully dressed and awake. He smiled brightly at me. I smiled back, but the smile didn't seemed to reach my eyes. He was leaving today.

"Good luck today," he said.

"You too," I replied.

I left the room shortly after. I ran back upstairs and got washed and dressed. My new school, Pleasantview High, didn't have a uniform, so I had to rummage through my wardrobe until I found a nice outfit. I had decided upon some old blue jeans, a red t-shirt saying _Rock is dead - long live paper and scissors_ and my signature black _Converses_. With my bag packed, I rushed down stairs; dumping it under the table next to the stairs.

It was nearly time, and was so uncertain about what was going to happen.

I went out onto the porch and sat on the bench. Glancing at my watch, I saw that the school bus wouldn't be here for another 30 minutes. Peter, however, would be leaving in 10.

The minutes went by quicker than I would have hoped. It threw me out of sorts. It hadn't been quite that fast when it came to moving, so why was it so fast and eager to see Peter leave me?

Mum was outside first, Jenny in her arms. Jenny didn't know what was going on properly, and seemed more interested in why she was being brought outside on such an odd morning. Tommy followed after them and sat next to me. He was ready for school too, his little backpack on the floor by his feet. Finally, Peter stepped outside. I smiled as he turned and looked at me. He was clearly excited, yet torn. I stood up and hurried over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. "Don't be a stranger," I muttered to him.

"Behave yourself," he replied.

I laughed, and helped him put his last box into his car. Mum was already crying, so Peter hugged her next.

"My smart boy," she sobbed. "So grown up already…"

Tommy high fived him and hugged him. Jenny was her normal bubbly baby self.

Peter got into his car, finally, and opened his windows.

"I'll be home for the holidays," he called, but he beckoned me forwards. "I'll also treat you to days out and stuff when I'm not busy. Get you out of the house if… Well, you know…"

"Yeah, I know."

We stood and watched as he pulled away from the house, and drove off towards the University. It felt weird knowing he wouldn't be back tonight. Mum took Jenny back inside, Tommy following her. So, I sat out on the porch and waited until the bright yellow school bus finally arrived.

_**A/N:**_

_**Yay! I finally got round to writing it! It's been kind of hectic around here lately, what with all the snow and shit, but it's all good 'cos I've only had a day and a half of school this week! Anyways, there may be multiple posts tomorrow if I write a lot 'cos I've got the day off AGAIN tomorrow XD. So, looking forward to book 3 now! Anyways, keep the reviews for ideas and shtuff coming!**_


	3. Chapter 2: Lilith has left the building!

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Lilith has left the building!**_

Sighing, I rushed inside and grabbed my bag from under the table.

"Tommy!" I called. "The bus is here!"

Tommy ran from the living room, a nervous expression on his face. Mum was following him, giving us both hugs before we could escape.

"Have a good day!" she called from the front door.

I walked over to the bus, and said "hello" to the driver. She smiled back, clearly knowing we were the new kids.

I looked around the bus and it was practically empty. But, I smiled as I spotted Nate already sat on the bus. He smiled back and motioned me to sit with him. I was glad I had someone on the bus already.

"Nervous?" he smirked.

"You wish!" I laughed, all nerves suddenly falling away.

"Aww! Why would I want you to be nervous?" he teased, his bright blue eyes turning all puppy dog on me.

My train of thought got lost for a moment; he had really nice eyes… What was I doing? He was my friend!

"'Cos you're a jerk like that!" I finally managed to say back.

He mockingly placed his hand over his heart and said "that hurt, Hailey. That cut deep!", to which I laughed.

I hadn't noticed the large quantities of people getting onto the bus as we were talking. It was only until Lilith and Luke leant over the seats in front of us, that I realised we were nearly at the school.

"Wassup, players!" Luke laughed, high-fiving Nate.

"Hello, doomed ones," Lilith said, much darker than usual.

"Lil, it's my first day," I said. "Please, don't do this."

"Yeah, show some sympathy, dude," Nate added.

I blushed slightly, but hid my face pretending to look inside my bag. I had hung out with Nate all summer, why was I going weird now?

"Have fun, kids!" the driver yelled as she pulled up outside the school. Everyone was getting off, so I followed behind Lilith. Having no clue where to go, the guys offered to take me to the main office. I gratefully accepted and followed, Lilith sticking by my side keeping my attention off of the googly-eyed pupils all staring at me.

"Fucking morons," she muttered.

After I had received my timetable and a map ("not that you'll need it with those three!" the lady at the desk had laughed) I discovered I was in all of Lilith's classes, most of Nate's and Luke's too.

"Phew!" I sighed. "That's a relief!"

The bell rang suddenly at 8:30am, and Lilith dragged me off to first lesson: media.

"This class is the best!" she laughed.

My eyes opened wide as we entered the classroom. It was amazing! It was an actual media studio with the computers and cameras and stuff! My old school never had this much funding! Someone laughed behind me, and we turned to see Angela sneering at us.

"What a loser!" she snickered. "Excited over a fucking classroom! What a boff!" She and her lackies strutted off squawking like parrots.

"URGH!" Lilith growled. "I WANT TO PUNCH HER FUCKING FACE IN!"

"Language, Lilith," said a new voice.

A short, plump woman walked into the room wearing a purple cardigan over a light blue dress. She had glass balls dangling from her ears and a purple glass necklace. This must be the teacher, I thought.

"Sorry, Miss," Lilith smirked.

"You know I don't really care," the teacher smirked back. "As long as I don't see you kill your sister, then go for it!"

Was this woman for real?

"You must be Miss Baker," she said, turning to me. "I'm Miss Jackson. If you've made friends with Miss Pleasant, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this class a lot!"

She was right. Because it was the first day back (and my first day all together) Miss Jackson let us do whatever we wanted. No projects would start until next lesson, so we could go play games or film or anything! Lilith and I made a little start on plans for our first trip to Strangetown. We had to hide the monitor slightly from everyone, but we got some decent planning done.

Pleasantview High only has four lessons a day, plus two breaks. So as soon as the bell rang, Lilith and I ran outside towards some benches and waited for the guys. It was during our wait that I remembered something.

"I didn't see Alex on the bus," I said.

"Oh," Lilith said, surprised. "We forgot to say he goes to the Private Academy down the road!"

"Huh," I responded, dropping the subject.

We both smiled as the boys ran over, both covered with pink and blue power. They sat down on the bench opposite us, trying to rub the power away.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Lilith asked, clearly amused by Luke's pinkness.

"We had art!" Luke replied, still trying to get blue off of his tie.

I couldn't help but laugh. "You know, finger painting is supposed to be in nursery school, right?"

"Ha ha," Nate said sarcastically. However, he had a weird glint in his eyes. "You want some pink and blue too?"

Oh crap.

"No. No I don't!" I said.

Of course, Nate wouldn't let me get away with it. As quickly as he could, he ran over and picked me up in a hug that would put the powder onto face. I pushed him off, trying to get powder off myself now. Lilith was in tears, so Luke did the same to her. Thankfully, the bell went and we all walked to our next lesson: English.

The English classroom was far less impressive. It was pale green with random posters of films I hadn't even heard of. The teacher was already in the room, so I went over to her and introduced myself.

"Ah, yes," she said kindly. "I'm Miss Powell. We're sat boy girl, so you can sit next to Nate."

"Perfect!" Nate laughed.

I sighed at his enthusiasm, but it was nice to know I wouldn't be sat next to someone I would get annoyed by. Lilith and Luke to the seats behind us, so we turned around to talk to them as the class started to come to the seats. I soon found that I really liked this teacher too. She introduced me to the class (most of which were in my media class so didn't really care) and then started to explain our topic. We would be spending two months on _A Streetcar Named Desire_. I almost laughed. I had already done this topic back in Strangetown, so it would be a piece of cake! I happily didn't tell Miss Powell that though.

After being given copies of the play, and writing down goals and plans for the term, the bell rang and Lilith and Luke were suddenly looking very glum.

"What's up?" I asked.

"We have," Lilith began, but paused for dramatic affect. "Science!"

I sighed, and put my hand against my forehead.

"At least you three are together," Nate said as we walked to the Science block. "I'm on my own."

"We have Carling," Luke retorted. "Our pain is much greater than yours."

"Uh huh. You have Newell. At least your teacher can teach!" Lilith said.

I stayed quiet until we had to separate, Nate going upstairs while Lilith, Luke and I walked into a separate corridor. I really had no opinion on this teacher just yet, but Luke and Lilith really were not helping to boost my confidence. Normally, I was pretty good at Science, which was why my parents were surprised that I wasn't put into the top group ("second group!" Mum had scoffed), but by the sounds of it, I was going to drop from my Bs to Ds.

"Is this teacher really that bad?" I asked as we queued up outside.

"Yeah!" Lilith said, exasperated. "Hailey, so far today, she is the only one who has made us queue outside! We have lunch in one hour, and she is wasting 20 minutes making us wait outside!"

That was true. I had checked my watch a lot, and we had been stood outside her classroom for 20 minutes. I was getting bored and our class was getting restless.

"Oh, bloody hell!" one boy called out. "JUST GO THE FUCK IN ALREADY!"

"She told us to wait, Kane!" Lilith shouted back.

I peaked inside quickly and spotted her sat at her computer. I cleared my throat to show I was there, and she looked at my confused for a moment.

"Uh, can we come in yet?" I asked. "Only, we asked a little while ago and you said wait. That was 20 minutes ago."

She stared at me, still confused. It was as though she was trying to recognise me. Fat chance.

"I'm Hailey Baker, Miss," I continued. "Um, the new girl?"

"Oooooh!" she finally said. "You may all come in now!"

The rest of the lesson was just as… odd. Mrs Carling really was useless. Lilith sat next to me, Luke in front of us. Carling was trying to start explaining ionic and covalent bonding, but the class was not taking any of it. At one point I wished I had kept my mouth shut, as Carling put an equation on the board. She was trying to show sulphur dioxide, hut had got the symbols wrong.

"You just had to point it out, didn't you?" Lilith whispered. I shrugged, feeling a little awkward as Carling kept staring at me with a weird smile on her face.

"Paedophile…" Luke said in a sing-song voice quietly.

After the bell rang once more, the class hurried from the room. Luke said that he'd wait for Nate, so Lilith dragged me to the canteen.

"Do you have lunch with you?" she asked me as we sat at one of the round tables.

"Yeah," I replied pulling a Marmite sandwich and a bottle of juice from my bag.

"Good," Lilith said, looking relieved and grabbing her own lunch. "The school stuff is crap."

Nate and Luke came and sat with us a few minutes later. Lunch, though a nice break, was very boring and uneventful.

The bell rang again, and we went to our final lesson before assembly: maths. Maths had always been my least favourite subject, so I wasn't expecting much to happen. We entered the classroom, the first ones to arrive, and the teacher was stood at the board writing a lesson plan up. He was tall and lanky, with a long hair tied into a scruffy pony tail. I spotted what we would be learning: quadratic equations. Nice. Another subject I'd already learnt. This was going to boring.

The teacher's name was Mr Baxter, and he was a sexist pig. The whole lesson, he spoke to the boys with respect and treated the girls (especially me) like we were retarded. This was when the class was reminded of the Lilith Pleasant temper.

"YOU ARE SUCH A COMPLETE TOSSER!" she yelled, as he tried to be a smart arse with her. "WHY DON'T YOU GO FUCK OFF BACK TO YOUR BARN!"

Baxter turned all the shades of red, then bellowed so loud that even me and Nate, who were sat on the other side of the room. We stared, like everyone else, at the battle of wills that was happening at the back of the room.

"Who's temper is bigger?" I whispered to Nate.

"Lilith's."

Sure enough, after a few moments, Lilith threw her text book into the box at the back and stormed from the room. I saw her through the window, walked across the grounds and out of the gate.

"Will she be okay?" I asked.

It was an hour later and Lilith had not came back. Luke, Nate and I were sat together at the back of the assembly hall as the Headteacher read out the final announcements for the next few days. We had not listened the entire assembly, to concerned with Lilith.

"Sure," Nate said. "She does this at least once a week."

I got off of the bus at one o'clock and breathed in a deep breath. I sighed, and walked up to the front door, but slumped down on the porch. I hadn't seen Lilith since she walked out of school, and the guys were no help at convincing me she was okay. Nate had sat with me (mainly because Luke would get off the bus first), and I saw him wave from the bus as it drove off from my house. Exhausted, I called into the house to let Mum know I was home, and lied down on the bench.

_**A/N: Sorry for the crappy filler chapter. I got distracted by coursework, so couldn't upload or write a few chapters. Lilith is such an angry little thing! Anyways, more soon! Enjoy! :D**_


	4. Chapter 3: Family Portrait

_**Chapter Three**_

_**Family Portrait**_

I didn't know how long I had been lying on the bench for, but when I next opened my eyes I saw Dad's car pulling up in the drive way. I sat upright instantly, a large smile on my face. Dad looked tired, but he smiled too when he spotted me. As he got out of the car, he laughed for some reason. I pouted a little, then realised my ponytail had pushed onto the top of my head from where I had been lying awkwardly. I let my hair down and ran my fingers through it trying to sort it out.

"How long have you been sat there?" Dad asked, walking up the porch towards the front door.

"Um… What time is it?" I asked.

"3:30," Dad said checking his watch.

"2 and a half hours, then," I yawned. "Tommy should be home soon," I added.

Sure enough, the yellow school bus pulled up outside the house and Tommy hopped out of it, a large smile on his face.

"Good day, son?" Dad asked.

"Yup! The best!" Tommy laughed.

Mum was pacing the living room. Her brow furrowed in agitation, she looked like she was fighting to keep calm. I watched from the doorway of the kitchen, not wanting to get on her bad side if she was about to blow her top. Tommy was playing in the back garden with Dad and Jenny, but had remained inside. Mum had decided that today I would help her with dinner, but had left me in the kitchen with no idea what to do. I would have called her back, but she was just a little frightening at that moment.

"What to do?" I pondered to myself.

In the end, I had cooked some boil-in-the-bag rice and made a curry. That was one thing I was good at; I could make a curry. Stupid really, but I really didn't want to make any pasta at that moment.

Dinner was silent. Mum and Dad were not speaking to each other for some reason. Jenny ate the porridge I had made her like a normal person, also sensing the tension in the room. Tommy kept glancing at me through the corners of his eyes. He had finished his dinner, like me, and was waiting to be excused. Mum and Dad hadn't finished yet, so we daren't move.

"Uh… Mum? Dad?" I finally dared to ask. "Can I go to my room now?"

"Why?" Mum snapped. "Why would you possibly want to leave this happy family time?"

"I want to send some emails to my friends back in Strangetown," I explained. "I haven't contacted them yet, and I don't want them to worry."

"Go on then, Honey," Dad smiled.

That did it.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS UNDERMINE ME?" Mum began to scream.

I grabbed hold of Tommy and Jenny and rushed them from the room, just as the shouting began to get worse and worse. Both of them were crying and I didn't know what to do!

"Shhh! Shhh!" I hushed. We were in Tommy's room now, I put Jenny on the floor and grabbed one of Tommy's old teddies. She started to smile as I made him dance around the floor, eventually crushing him in her tiny toddler hug. Tommy was sat on his little chair and began to play on his xbox.

"You two okay?" I asked.

"Yup, I'll watch Jenny," Tommy said. "You go email your friends. The noise from my game will block out anything bad."

I honestly could have cried then. He reminded me of… me. I was now Peter, Tommy was me, and Jenny was Tommy… Oh, Peter, if only you could see this…

"I'm still gunna put the stair rails up, just in case," I said.

Tommy shook his and sighed sarcastically.

"Fine! Just go!"

I put the rails up, but it was difficult due to my shaking hands. All I could hear downstairs was screaming, and yelling, and _SMASH_ there went one of the plates. Making sure Tommy's door was shut firmly, I ran upstairs and turned on my laptop. This email was going to be sent, but who to send it to. I didn't want to send 5 different emails, so had to get my feelings right in one collective email… Ripp. It had to be him.

I began to type:

_Hey Ripp,_

_How are things going in Strangetown? Strange as usual? I'm sorry I haven't been in touch in ages. I was just so consumed by Pleasantview! It's so green and weird here! I've made some new friends already too. Lilith Pleasant, Nate Ward, Luke Richman, and Alexander Goth. It's so weird; they remind me so much of you guys! The reason I've not been in touch is because I've been helping in one of the biggest mysteries Pleasantview; the disappearance of Bella Goth. She's rumoured to be in Strangetown so we'll be visiting soon and often! I can't wait to see you guys again. I've missed you. All of you. Things haven't really changed here despite the move. They're fighting right now… I'll see you soon, I promise. I love and miss all of you, Hailey xxx_

I reread the email before sending it. I hoped that he wouldn't be angry with me. I'd mention school in my next email, or in person. I noticed a folder on my desktop, one that I couldn't remember putting there. Tears sprung to my eyes as I looked though it. It was full of pictures of my old friends, my family, ranging in age. I smiled as the last picture taken of Ripp, Ophelia, Johnny and myself popped up. Ripp had his arm around my neck, the other around Ophelia with Johnny popping up in the middle. Next, I paused. Staring at the screen, I let one tear slip at the sight of our family portrait. It was so natural. Before the fighting got so bad, when Jenny was a few months old… I put it as my desktop background, as a montage of the two photos (friends and family). I'd make a new one soon including Lilith, Nate, Luke and Alex. But, at that moment, it was perfect.

_**A/N: Awww! Ain't I just a meanie! Man, it took a lot to write this. Listening to a damn song over got me the inspiration! More soon hopefully, cos my friend wants her character to come in soon!**_


	5. Chapter 4: News From The Gang

_**Chapter Four**_

_**News From the Gang**_

I left my laptop on and decided to just lay on my bed. I'd opened the door to the nearest balcony to let the cool night air pour in. It was a slightly poor idea because I could hear Mum and Dad's voices from the kitchen; they clearly forgot to close the back door. I sighed to myself and went down stairs quickly to check on Tommy and Jenny. Tommy seemed to have heard me coming, so opened his door and smiled softly.

"Jenny's asleep," he said.

"Oh, okay," I replied. "I'll put her to bed." I looked at the watch on my left wrist. "You should get to bed too."

"Awwww! Really?"

I laughed a little at him; sometimes I did forget he was only eight. Although, sometimes I forget that I'm only fifteen. I smiled at Tommy when he pouted, entering his room and picking Jenny up off of the floor. She clutched at the little teddy she had been with playing with and I looked to Tommy.

"Can she keep hold of this?"

"Sure, I don't use it anymore," Tommy said, changing into his pyjamas.

"Want me to shut your door again?" I asked, walking out and waiting on the landing. I waited for his response, shifting Jenny's weight into a more comfortable position as she nuzzled against my shoulder.

"Yeah, please…" he said quietly. "But I'll have to leave my light on…"

"Not necessarily," I smiled.

Tommy looked at me confused for a moment, so I continued.

"Just wait there for a moment," I said. "I'll put Jenny to bed and then I have something for you."

"Okay."

I nodded to him, turning and walking carefully into Jenny's room. I flicked on her light for a moment, just enough so I could get her into bed carefully and tuck her in. I pulled the bars up on the cot, locking it into place so that she couldn't get out, then I moved to the door and put up her baby rail. Once that was locked into place, I shut her door a little and dimmed the light. Tommy was still waiting for me so I smiled and said that I wouldn't be long. I ran upstairs to my room and rummaged through a box under my bed. Finally, I pulled out what I had been looking for and ran back downstairs. I handed it out to Tommy, who looked at it in surprise.

"This is yours though!" he said, looking up at me.

I had given him my old superhero nightlight. It had helped me a lot through the sleepless nights when the shadows on the wall were never pushed away by the people they were meant to be. Peter had bought it for me to scare the monsters away, and now I wanted to pass it down to someone else who needed it.

"Now it's yours," I smiled. "Come on."

I walked into his room with him and set it up on his shelf where I knew it would shine away the shadows and darkness that scared him. I turned it on and watched as Tommy looked at it and then hugged me. I hugged him back, smoothing his back as he sniffed a little.

"Thanks, Hailey."

"No problem, kiddo," I said. "Now come on, bed time. It's nine o'clock."

"Okay…"

I stayed with him until he fell asleep, smoothing his hair and running my thumb along his temple softly, know that that motion always sent him to sleep. I tucked him in and then shut the door as I left. I sighed to myself and then climbed up the stairs to my room. I shut the door behind me and looked at my laptop again. It hadn't changed at all since I walked away, and I could still hear my parents arguing down stairs, so I put my iPod in it's dock on my desk and put on _Panic! At The Disco_. I enjoyed their music so much, it was almost an obsession. On my laptop, the message alert went off on my email, so I sat at my desk and opened it.

It was from Ripp:

_Hailey!_

_Oh God! You actually are emailing us again! We were all so worried! We remembered how your Mum was acting when you left and thought that you'd had your laptop taken from you! Or worse, you were locked in your new room! I'm glad that you've settled in fast. I forwarded your email to the others so you should get lots of emails soon!_

_So, you made friends with Lilith, huh? Figured as much. I know her cos of dealings between our parents and she's pretty cool. I'm sure you two get along well._

_You're coming back soon? I do hope so! I really want to see you again! It's not been the same since you left! I really miss you. But, I have no idea where we could start for Bella Goth. I'm sure you guys have a plan all thought out, huh? You've probably drawn out all the maps for Strangetown! Tell me the day before when you're coming! Please! I really can't wait to see you again!_

_Ripp_

I smiled at the email. I missed him too. All of them. I would definitely tell him when we were going. Before I could even think of replying to him, my phone went off. I turned my music down and picked it up.

It was Lilith.

"Hey!" I said. "You okay now?"

"Yeah!" she replied. "Nothing can keep me down!"

"That's funny, I thought you were all manic depressive this morning?"

"Fuck off…"

"You called me, Dipshit."

I could actually see the mental debate going on in her head to either keep talking to me or hang up. She kept talking.

"Yeah, yeah… Anyways, I talked to Luke and he said that he can get us bus tickets to Strangetown for this weekend!"

Say what? This weekend?

"Oh my God! Really?"

"Yeah!"

I nearly squealed with happiness. "Tell him and Nate that I am game!"

"I thought you would be!"

"This is awesome! I finally get to see my old friends again!"

"I can't wait to meet them!"

"I'll see you at school tomorrow then, and we can talk more about it then!"

"Yeah! See ya!"

We hung up at the same time, and I instantly got into my seat again and replied to Ripp's email.

_RIPP!_

_DUDE I AM COMING BACK AT THE WEEKEND! I'LL TELL YOU MORE ON FIRDAY BUT IT'S DEFINITELY THIS WEEKEND! I'M SO EXICTED!_

_Sorry for the caps abuse, but you know. Shit happens! Speak again soon!_

_Hailey_

I sent it without a second thought and ran out onto my balcony. I looked out across the horizon and to the town. I could see Nate's house from where I was and saw him at the window. He waved at me, so I waved back. I was really looking forward to going into school tomorrow. I could tell things were going to get interesting.

_**Notes:**_

_**Oh my God! I haven't updated this story in a while have I? Sorry if anyone actually was following this. I mean, it wasn't getting many reviews so I sort of forgot it and got obsessed with my Hetalia stories instead. Sorry. Anyways, I'll update this when I can be bothered. Like today! I just felt the urge to write in angst-y first person! See you soon!**_


	6. Chapter 5: Don't Talk To Strangers

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Don't Talk to Strangers**_

Over the following week at school, I seemed to become an outcast somewhat. I didn't particularly care because I had Lilith, Luke and Nate, but it was still fairly annoying that these people were judging me instantly. Coming from Strangetown really didn't help my chances with these people. I was a topic of interest at the beginning of the week; the new girl from the peculiar town with all the secrets. I was questioned and made to feel welcome; mainly because Keira and Luke's father was the general of the Pleasantview military forces. Keira tried to be sneaky and befriend me as a ruse for her father, but having already alienated me during the summer with Angela, Regan and Dustin I instantly said goodbye and good riddance.

But, like I said, I didn't care. All that I cared about this week was keeping my trip to Strangetown a secret from my mother. She wasn't all that keen on me going back to my birthplace, but that wasn't up to her now. I was nearly sixteen, for God's sake! I wanted to get out and live my life, but my mother seemed determined to keep me on a leash. I wasn't sure whether it was because she was scared of letting me go, or if it was her being a naturally controlling bitch. But all I did know was, she wouldn't let me leave Pleasantview with the guys if she knew that we were on the hunt for clues about Bella Goth. I doubted that she knew who Bella was; but my mother was an avid gossip. Walking around after school some afternoons with Lilith, I would see her round the Richman's home or the Broke's. She would be gossiping away like there was no tomorrow. So much for keeping Strangetown a mystery, Mum.

At that moment, it was Friday evening and I hadn't heard from anyone since I'd gotten home from school. Tommy was round one of his new friends' homes, Jenny was asleep, Mum was round Mrs Broke's house with Mrs Richman, Dad was out somewhere, and Nate, Luke and Lilith hadn't spoken to me since I got off of the school bus. I really needed someone to talk to at that moment, but nobody was home and nobody was online. I could have emailed Ripp or Ophelia or Johnny, but I didn't know whether they would respond as quickly as I needed them to. Sighing, I flopped back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. People often wondered why I was able to shut myself away so easily. I bargained that it was because I was used to being by myself, being abandoned, that it was something that came naturally to me. It still hurt though. I curled up into the foetal position on my bed, trying to stop myself from crying.

That was when the phone rang.

I sat up on my bed and swung my legs over the edge. Slowly, I walked over to my phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hiya, Squirt!"

"Peter!"

I was overjoyed. The one person in my life that could ever make me feel better had finally made contact with me again. It was a shame he was on the phone or I would have hugged his lanky body so much.

"You sound happy to hear me," Peter said. "What's happened?"

"The usual," I replied. "Mum and Dad's constant fighting. I nearly cried the other night, Peter… It wasn't because of the fighting, but because of myself and Tommy and Jenny…"

"What? What happened?"

"I took them up to Tommy's room, trying to block out the sounds. But the only way we could really think to do so was to go to sleep. I put Jenny to bed and closed her door, but when I went into talk to Tommy he was so scared of the dark. I gave him my old nightlight. The one you got me, and when it was all set up he hugged me and shut the door. It reminded me so much of how we used to be, and I nearly cried."

"Oh, Hailey," Peter said softly. "I'm so sorry that I can't be there for you anymore…"

"You are though," I smiled. "I'm all alone at the moment, and you just helped to cheer me up."

"Well, I am glad that I have some use for you still," my brother said, a smile clear in his voice.

"You'll always be useful to me," I smiled. "How's Uni?"

"Pretty good," Peter said. "My major class is pretty intense, but I'm managing to keep up with it alright. My dorm is small, but that's what you get when you pay the budget price. I'm going out on a date tomorrow."

"A date!" I grinned. "Who with? Is she pretty? Is she nice?"

"All of the above," Peter said. "Her name is Andrea; she's in my art class."

"I'm so happy for you."

"What about you?"

"Me what?"

"Do you have anyone special I need to threaten?"

I laughed. "I don't." Although, as I said it, my mind drifted off to Nate. I shook my head, hearing Peter chuckle.

"You do."

"No!"

"You like someone though."

"Maybe."

Peter laughed at me again, but I didn't care that it was at my expense; just hearing his laugh again made me so happy.

"I miss you," I said.

"I miss you too," Peter replied. "Hey… I know! You have half term in October right?"

"Right."

"I'll take you out to dinner downtown. Just you and me before Halloween. I'll take you to the best restaurant and we can talk."

"I'd like that."

"I'll introduce Andrea soon too."

"I'd like that more."

"See you, Hailey."

"See you, Peter."

We hung up the line at the same time, and I put my phone back down on the table. Bored, I went downstairs and sat out on the front porch. I stared up at the sky and sighed, watching all the glittering stars. It was an oddly peaceful night for a big city. Well, I was on the outskirts of the city, but you understand what I mean. It was so clear, the pollution seeming non-existent despite the heavy traffic around the centre of town.

The only problem with where my house was situated was that it was located right near the large forest. The large looming trees were right opposite my house, and I was grateful that the house face them. My bed was right at the back with a city scene that I was able to look at rather than the forest, but my other balcony faced the forest. I felt sorry for Tommy as his room faced the forest too, but he didn't seem to scared about it. Just the dark.

I looked down as I heard a rustling noise, looking towards the woods and spotting someone walking through the woods. My eyes widened slightly, the person continuing to walk as the black cloak blew around in the breeze. Despite my initial fear, I got to my feet and crossed the road and entered the woods after the mystery person. I didn't know where I was going, but all I knew was I had to follow this person.

I walked to the centre of the woods, watching as the person paused. My heart started to beat a mile a minute as they turned and looked at me with an icy glare. Their eyes were a shocking red colour and I screamed as I felt a sharp pain shoot through my chest and head.

Images of a woman with brown hair and a red dress flashed through my mind, Don Lathario and the Caliente sisters plotting, Alex and Lilith screaming as the sky turned green, the woman disappearing and crashing into a desert. I saw my house, the Curious brothers finding her and taking her to safety…

I gasped and fell to the floor, staring at the figure lifelessly as it disappeared into the shadows.

I don't know how long I was laying there, but the next thing I knew there were arms wrapping around me. I looked up and saw Nate's face and felt his warmth.

"Nate…?"

"Hailey…" he breathed out in relief. "What happened to you?"

"I… I don't know…" I whispered, leaning on him weakly as he picked me up.

"Let's get you home…" he said, carrying me out of the woods.

"How did you find me?" I asked, trying not to blush as he held me close to him.

"I was walking around and heard a scream," he explained. "I just followed the noise until I found you laying on the ground."

"I know where to look for Bella," I said suddenly. He blinked and looked at me in confusion.

"Where?"

"We need to talk to Vidcund, Lazlo and Pascal Curious. They know something about all of this."

Nate stared at me for a moment, then carried me up to my front door. I told him that he could let me go now, so he did and set me on my feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I smiled softly. "Thank you."

Nate smiled and smoothed my cheek softly, making me blush slightly. He smiled more and chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled. "Stay safe."

"You too…" I said.

_**Notes:**_

_**Short chapter is short. Sorry for such long delays but other stories come first seeing as this one gets next to no reviews. Anyways, next chapter they're going to Strangetown where more trouble will happen.**_


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